An armed gang burst into a French hospital today and freed a prisoner, escaping after a brief shoot-out with his police escort, police said.
Between three and four masked men ran into the casualty department of the hospital in Besancon, eastern France, and sprayed tear gas on staff and police before seizing the detainee and making off, hospital staff said.
"They were big, imposing guys, all dressed in black and wearing masks. They pulled out enormous gas canisters and spayed us all," said nurse Ms Severine Coulon. "They seemed to know the layout of the hospital well."
Police gave chase and exchanged fire with the gang. No one was shot, but one of the police officers was lightly injured as he fell while giving chase.
Witnesses said the gang escaped along a ledge above the hospital's car park, jumped into a tree and swung to the ground. One of the gang dropped a machine pistol.
A getaway car with two bullet holes in the windscreen was found abandoned 200 metres (yards) away. Some witnesses reported that members of the gang held up a driver at gunpoint and stole his car.
One attacker who attempted to flee on foot was later arrested, police said, but the prisoner, who was not identified, made good his escape.
Judicial sources said that the escapee was a career criminal with a history of violence and theft who was originally arrested after a car chase with police. He was jailed two weeks ago.
He had been taken to hospital after complaining of pains in his hand after working out in a prison gym, police said.